Summary

Marvel Studios overhauled
Daredevil: Born Again
to connect to Netflix series, bringing back familiar characters and fan-favorite storylines.
Originally planned for 18 episodes, the upcoming Disney+ show will now have only 9, ensuring a more streamlined and tighter narrative.
The rewrite and connection to Netflix series were influenced by fan pressure, studio input, and history from past seasons, creating a proper continuation.

Charlie Cox’s return as Daredevil for the new Disney+ series, Daredevil: Born Again, was originally going to be very different before it was majorly overhauled. Despite bringing back Cox as the titular character and Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, the plan was for the show not to connect to the Netflix series that ran on the streamer for three seasons. These plans were all changed when Marvel Studios took a look at what was already completed for the Disney+ show.

During an appearance at the Disney Upfronts, via ComicBook.com, Cox revealed that there would now be “a lot” of crossover coming in Daredevil: Born Again, but D’Onofrio quickly made it clear that this wasn’t always the case. The actor said:

“It originally wasn’t going to be at all, but now it’s a lot.”

Despite the writers’ and actors’ strikes being a big detriment to the industry, they aided in the new direction of the Daredevil series. Marvel Studios had time to look at the existing footage that was already shot and decided to wipe the slate clean, start over, and connect it to the former Netflix show. Cox believes that fan pressure and the studio also played into the decision by saying:

“I think it’s the [fans]. I think [it’s] the studio as well.”

Daredevil: Born Again Was Majorly Overhauled During the Writers’ Strike

Development on Daredevil: Born Again began in 2022 when Matt Corman and Chris Ord were hired as head writers. The show was greenlit for 18 episodes and the tone was described as lighter and more episodic in structure than the Netflix series. Filming began in March 2023 but was suspended in June due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. It was during this time that Marvel Studios decided to completely overhaul the series which resulted in Corman, Ord, and the original directors being let go.

Dario Scardapene was then hired as new showrunner and Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead were brought on as new lead directors. And it seems the approach was then changed to be more connected to the Netflix series, with filming picking up again in January 2024.

Related Daredevil: Born Again’s Charlie Cox Excited for MCU Return: ‘Hopefully We’ve Got Another 10 Years in Us’ Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio said they loved making Daredevil: Born Again and hope the new show lasts another decade.

D’Onofrio also spoke about the creative redirection and how it now connects more to what began on Netflix. This plays a lot into Marvel Studios, making it clear that the Marvel Netflix shows are now canon in the MCU. Adding to the new show being a proper continuation is the return of characters such as Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Franklin “Foggy” Nelson (Elden Henson), who were in the Netflix series and originally were not going to be present in the first version of Born Again, now appearing under the new direction.

Connecting the new series to those three seasons that aired on Netflix seems essential to what the show is doing now, according to D’Onofrio.

“During our restart of all the creative on Daredevil: Born Again, all the creatives got together and said, ‘Look, this is how we’ve got to do it now.’ So we are for sure only speaking about it in terms of being directly connected to the original Daredevil, and that’s a great thing. It brings in a lot of cool stories and all of the collateral story that happened in those original three seasons. so we now get to start this Born Again situation with all of that history behind us and the outcome of all that history. So we’re talking about Daredevil: Born Again in those terms now.”

Another significant change from the original announcement is the episode count. Originally planned for 18 episodes, the series will now run for a total of nine, according to what Cox said was finished and shot. This will aid it in being more streamlined with a tighter story, while the 18-episode plan likely worked better with the more episodic and less serialized approach.

Daredevil: Born Again
is expected to debut in March 2025.